Jim Longley

James Alan Longley (born 28 July 1958) is the Deputy Secretary of Ageing, Disability and Home Care, NSW Department of Family and Community Services. He is a former bank executive and Liberal party politician and served as the Member for Pittwater in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1986 until 1996. During his tenure in the Assembly, he was Minister for Community Services, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, and Minister for the Ageing.

Education and personal

Longley was born in Sydney, New South Wales, and attended Mona Vale Primary School, Sydney Grammar Preparatory School, Narrabeen High School, and St Andrew's Cathedral School. He received his Bachelor of Economics from the University of Sydney, and a Masters degree from Macquarie University, and also attended the University of Washington, in the United States of America. On 19 January 1991, he married Sally Welch. They have two children, a daughter and a son. Longley is an Anglican. Longley is a Fellow of the Society of Certified Practising Accountants, Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management. Before entering politics, he was a banking executive. Longley began his political career in 1974, when he joined the Liberal Party of Australia. In 1978 he founded the Pittwater Young Liberals and served as their President. He was also President of the Mackellar Federal Electoral Council.^[1] Longley worked with Westpac for six years in Sydney, London and the USA.^[2]

Political career

On 31 May 1986 he was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, was appointed the Acting Shadow Minister for Finance soon thereafter. In 1992, he was appointed Minister for Community Services and Assistant Minister for Health, and in late 1993 added Aboriginal Affairs and Ageing to his portfolio. After the Coalition lost Government in March 1995, he served for a year in Opposition before resigning on 20 March 1996, after nearly ten years in the Assembly.^[1]

Post political career

After his resignation from Parliament on 1996 until late 2000, he was the CEO of Anglican Retirement Villages, Diocese of Sydney. He resigned from the ARV to take up a role with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia^[1] as General Manager/Executive Vice President Government Finance. In July 2012 he was appointed Deputy Secretary of Ageing, Disability and Home Care, within the NSW Department of Family and Community Services. In 2017 he was part of a charity payments probe which has already triggered the resignation of the national RSL President. The affair has now been referred to the NSW Police and is the subject of an ongoing NSW Fair Trading investigation.^[3]

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